The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1887-01-15
WHAT ARE WE TO DO WITH OUR
BOYS?


WHAT ARE WE Tn DO WITH OUR
One Of the most perplexing questions
which the parents of most boys now
have to meet, is to know what to do
with them when they are old enough
to earn their own livings. Men of
wealth of course need not unless they
choose give the subject any thought.
They can send their sons to the most
expensive colleges, and while they are
there, supply them as they too fire.
quently do with enough money to
tempt them into idle and dissipated
habits, never taking pains to encourage
the idea in the boys minds that they
should learn to be self-dependant even
though they are the sons of rich men.
Now we hold the idea, that every young
man no matter how ample the means
OF his parents, should be taught some
trade or be educated in some profess
sion.
And this as an available means of
refuge in case of adversely.
In stating TIE case we put the trade
ahead of the profession, because the
number of those who need trades is
greater, and because only small
minority Of boys have either the brains
or the industry TO become successful
professional men. Its a bad idea to
spoil good mechanic by making your
boy bad lawyer, or an Indifferent doc
tor. Yet SO many parents have such
weak and erroneous ideas about the re-
speciality of the professions, that they
ruin the prospects of their sons, and
set their PARENTAL pride in the way of
their success in life, because they think
it in itself much more desirable and
gratifying to have obscure lawyers, doc
tors and ministers in the family, than
successful carpenters, builders, or ma
chinists. There is a fearful amount of
weakness of this kind displayed by
parents who ought to know better. Yet
there are some mitigating circumstances
to be considered in explaining the pre-
valencc of this wide and evidently in
creasing prejudice against the trades,
upon the part of people of moderate
means and whose sons have their lly
ings TO get. In the first place, the
Cd American system of apprenticeship
has been almost broken up by the un-
reasonable demands of the Trades In
ions, until in large establishments il has
become next to impossible for boy to
acquire trade. You can put your son
in machine shop with view to have
him become machini.t. This is
dream with most boys. The first time
your son saw a locomotive engine 1t
excited his admiration, and if he was
lad of average intelligence he naturally
was curious 20 know more about such
a wonderful invention of mans lnge
nuity. We are not old enough yet
ourselves to pass a locomotive without
stopping to admire it. We invest it
with something akin to individuality
simply because 1t moves, and we always
associate motion with life. A boy does
the same thing intuitively. If he lives
in village located on railroad, all
the interest IS Centered in his mind
about the station where the locomotives
snort and scream. He talks about
them, plays locomotive" in the hall
ways of his home, and in the summer
constructs miniature railroad lines up
and down the garden walks. If his
father is not too much engrossed with
the cares of business or the pursuit of
wealth, he will explain to him the won
d-rful expansive power of steam, and
illustrate his simple lesson by the puff
fling kettle on the kitchen stove. If
the boy is bright and impressible, the
admiration thus excited increases with
his years, and like other human pas
sions grows by what it feeds on. Ask
him what he is going to be when he
grows up He will tell you promptly
IAN engineer" As he grows older
and gets to school, and from school to
the academy, although his attention
may be diverted by his studies, the i'm
preston is still there. You as his pa
rent would like to develope his me
chancal bent. if after year or two you
discover it to be more than passing
fancy. You think favorably of having
him become a machinist, or at least &C
ouirc some trade in which his natural
fonCness tor machinery would seem to
guarantee his successful requirement
Of it.
But you can't find place TO put
him. unless you keep him for years at
some simple mechanical work of cut
ting screw heads, or tending some